Resident Evil: Guardian Angel (One Shot)
by BGShepard
Summary: Two months after her successful acquisition of the Master Plaga sample in Spain, Ada Wong finds herself in Washington, D.C. to warn Leon about the danger that still stalks him. However, what she finds when she enters his apartment will shock her to her very core concerning the man's feelings when it comes to her.


**Resident Evil: Guardian Angel**

**Washington, DC**

**December 24****th ****2004**

**20:55 EST**

Cold and dreary – that was the summation of the weather surrounding the nation's Capitol as the snow outside fell with a fury she hadn't seen in many years. Gazing out the window, she watched as the flakes continued to fall in large clumps, coating the sidewalks and roads with a slick layer of white. By contrast, the warm coffee shop she was sitting in was a delectable haven, and it was here that Ada Wong lifted a cup of steaming hot chocolate to her lips and took a sip. Taking a moment, she closed her eyes and savored the seasonal flavor it held. As if on cue, the phone in her pocket interrupted the brief serenity of the moment and began to beep. Opening her eyes once more, she reached into her coat pocket and removed it to check on the status of the tracking device. The red light once again beeped its location upon the GPS map. They were on their way.

Gently brushing a blonde bang from her face, Ada leaned back in her chair and cracked her neck with a sigh. Blonde had never been her favorite hair color when it came to wigs, but considering that Wesker still believed that she was over three thousand miles away resuming her interrupted vacation, she wasn't about to take any chances – especially not with the likes of him. It was imperative that no one from his organization discovered that she was here in Washington.

The phone once again rang out a soft chime bringing her attention back to the screen. The red dot was now only two blocks away and moving in her direction – it was time. Casually standing up, Ada wrapped herself in the dark mink coat and set a twenty dollar bill on the table for the young waitress who had been serving her for the past hour. With her purse over her shoulder, she exited the coffee shop. The coldness of the night was already on the other side of the door ready to greet her with its cold embrace.

Across the way, she saw the blue Honda Civic pull into an empty parking space along the street. With movements as natural to her as breathing, Ada began a sauntering approach towards the vehicle as her black stiletto boots waded through the slush. Through the driver's side window she could see the two men. From the looks of it, both of them were too busy conversing to notice her as she strode towards their car. Her gentle tap on the glass startled both, but immediately the driver's side window rolled down revealing the hard features of the man behind the wheel. The photos she had gleaned off of Wesker's server were a match.

"Yes? What do you want?" he asked in a thick Eastern-European accent – most likely Ukrainian.

Leaning provocatively against the door with her left arm, Ada opened up her coat to show them the beautiful red butterfly dress she was wearing. Ever since Spain, she had come to love how the silky fabric caressed the soft curves of her hips and chest; giving her a desirable but also unattainable look. Not to mention the continued stares that she received from men were an added bonus to the "heartbreaker" persona she enjoyed imposing upon the world.

"Are you boys looking for a wild time tonight?" she cooed with a smile hot enough to melt ice.

Their eyes widened as they stared back at her without a word. The driver was the first to compose himself.

"No… ah, no we are not. Go on and bother someone else, whore!"

"Are you sure?" She pouted her bottom lip. "You have no idea what you're missing out on."

The man's partner grabbed his arm and began whispering to him in Russian. He was arguing against brushing her off, but it was the last sentence that caught her attention. "Besides… it is not like **_he_** is going anywhere."

The driver turned his head and began to argue with the man, giving her the opportunity she'd been waiting for. Pulling out the Sig, the suppressor sneezed and sent the driver's brains splattering all over his partner's face. His eyes were alive with shock, but before he could react, she had already pulled the trigger a second time. The other mercenary's body jerked against the door and then went still.

"You really shouldn't call a woman that," she quipped with a smirk.

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small block of C4 explosive and casually tossed it onto the lap of the dead passenger. For two assassins hired by Albert Wesker, she had expected better – especially considering both had been former members of Umbrella's UBCM force.

_Men…_ she thought silently with disdain. _So easily distracted by a bit of titillation._

Apparently, her benefactor was having some difficulty recruiting actual professionals to carry out his nefarious orders. In the end though it had only made things easier for her. These two fools were dead and no longer a threat.

Ada began to walk across the street when she felt a smile tug at her lips. It hadn't escaped her notice that Wesker had failed to contract **_her_** for the job… or even mention it to her. Maybe he knew better after what had happened in Spain. At any rate **_he_** was safe… at least for now.

Weaving through a back alley to conceal her movements, Ada pressed the trigger on the detonator she'd hidden inside her coat pocket. The dark, snowy night soon turned a bright orange and yellow as the car behind her exploded in a shower of flame. While the familiar sounds of screams and shouts echoed behind her, Ada didn't look back as she continued on. The explosive she had rigged was small enough to destroy the car and the bodies of the men inside, but not so large as to cause collateral damage. When the DC police happened on the scene and found the weapons, they'd write this ugly little event off as nothing more than gang violence – case closed.

_Two gunmen shot and blown up by another gunman? How sad…_

Once she exited the alley, Ada shed the wig and tossed it into a nearby dumpster; she hadn't planned on leaving Washington as a blonde anyway. Her jet black bangs were now free as she ran her fingers through the silky-smooth strands. She allowed them a brief moment to flutter in the chilly breeze before raising the hood over her head. There was one last stop she planned to make before she traveled back to Bermuda and her private beach house to rid herself of all this wretched snow. Leon's apartment was only a block away. She had to warn him of the danger that was out there lurking in the shadows; danger in the form of Albert Wesker who was still hell-bent on taking his life.

_Wesker…_

The mere thought of his name caused Ada's eyes to narrow in a silent rage that she reserved especially for him. Initially, she had allowed herself to believe that he had abandoned his plans to kill Leon back in Spain, but she'd been a fool. The sociopath was still determined to see her protector dead – and that wasn't something she was going to let happen. Not then… not now… not ever! Fortunately, she'd had the good sense to plant a back door program onto the man's computer network that had been given to her by a hacker she knew. It was a program that specifically searched for any of Leon's personal identifiers in Wesker's communications and would flag them immediately. That was why she was here tonight.

As Leon's apartment building came into view, she began to feel a strange wave of apprehension fall over her. _Will he even want to see me?_ she thought to herself as she crossed the street.

Things hadn't exactly ended well between them in Spain. Not only had she put a gun to his head and forced him to give her the Master Plaga sample, but she had also set off the hidden charges while he was still on the island. Initially, she allowed herself to fall back on the fact that she had left the safety to her Sig on when she'd accosted him at gunpoint, but the charges that detonated afterward were not. It was a dangerous game she had played with his life, but it was one that she'd had no choice when it came down to it. Wesker had been watching the entire time via satellite feed, and if she hadn't done so, he would have known where her true loyalties lied. So she had made the gamble that Leon would find the jet ski she had left for him and escape the island before it was too late – a gamble she would end up winning. Leon hadn't known any of that of course. All he would probably remember was the kiss of steel against the back of his neck and her playful banter as she tossed him that key and then pressed the button.

_Leon…_

Looking up at his building, Ada silently counted the floors until she found the one that held his apartment. To her good fortune, Leon's flat sat towards a back alley which would allow her to approach his floor from the shadows. Even though their meeting might be contentious, he had to know the danger he was in. Her nerves could be damned if they tried to get in her way in that regard.

In the darkness of the alley, she pulled out her hookshot and aimed for the fourth floor terrace above her. The metallic whine of the cable whispered in the night as she pulled herself up to his balcony. Once there, she removed a thin piece of metal from her purse and slid it between the latch of the sliding window and the lock. With a little effort, she heard the metal click, and soon she was inside and out from the cold.

This visit would mark the very first time she'd ever been inside his apartment. From what information she'd been able to glean concerning his background, Leon had spent a majority of his life in his hometown of Peyton, Iowa until that night in September over six years ago – the night that had changed both of their lives forever. Ever since his escape from Raccoon City, he had bounced around from one government facility to the next until he had finally set up residency in Washington, DC. Taking a moment, she silently stood there and listened to the sounds of the apartment… listening for him. In the distance, the subtle decibel of snoring could be heard coming from the couch.

Walking towards the sound, Ada quickly detected a familiar yet repulsive scent; causing her nose to wrinkle in disgust. _Alcohol._ It was the smell of hard liquor; something she detested with a passion as it brought back too many unpleasant memories from her youth. When she reached the couch, she saw Leon there sprawled out on his belly asleep; his left hand was dangling over the side. Sure enough, on the floor was an empty bottle of Bourbon. Ada felt the blood simmer within her veins as she narrowed her eyes at him. His inebriated state was a pathetic and disappointing sight to behold.

Two months ago, just having seen him again after six long years had gotten her blood pumping in a different way. Back then it had made her giddy with delight – a sense of freedom that she could only experience in his presence. During that time, she couldn't help but flirt with him; keeping him off-balance at the appeal she possessed but also stoking the handsome man's long-suppressed feelings for her as well. When he had unabashedly stared at her leg in the speed boat, Ada knew then how much he truly desired her… and she had enjoyed it more than she thought possible. However, the man lying before her in a drunken stupor was a far cry from the capable agent she had encountered then. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to slap him silly at his foolishness. Wesker was out there planning his death!

_If those assassins had made it here and found him like this…!_ Now she was fuming.

Shedding her coat and tossing it on a nearby chair, Ada stood there with her hands on her hips. Her posture did nothing to conceal her ire at what she was looking at. Reaching down for the bottle, she wanted to grab hold of it and hit him over the head… until she noticed something shimmer in the light. There were over two dozen pieces of broken glass littering the carpet in front of the couch. It wasn't from the bottle; even as it lay on its side, she could see that it was perfectly intact. There wasn't just glass on the floor either; there were also pieces of plastic, too. When she saw a small button panel, she recognized it as the face of a cell phone.

_What in the world?_

Ada stood up and looked at the mysterious scene before her. The anger she had initially felt at Leon's current state began to melt away as intrigue took its place. Her eyes then went to the coffee table sitting between the couch and the television. The remnants of a shattered picture frame lay on top of it with several long shards of glass protruding from the wood. Lying next to it was a crumpled up piece of paper. Now she was curious. What would cause a man like Leon to do all this?

Taking the ball of paper in her hands, she quietly straightened out the page until she could read its contents. Judging from the soft cursive letters used to create the words, the letter had been written by a woman. Arching an eyebrow in Leon's direction, she then began to read.

_Dear Leon,_

_I know this is something that I should be doing in person, but you'll have to forgive me for breaking this to you by letter. I just can't bring myself to see you. I'm sorry._

_When we first met a year ago, I could see how soft and sweet a man you were, and that you were eager to get to know me. Your government job was mysterious, but despite the complications it caused we did our best to try and make it work between us. Even though you were kind to me, something began to feel… I don't know how to describe it with words, but something felt… off. When you looked at me, sometimes I would get the feeling that you weren't seeing "me". It was as if you were seeing someone else in my place. It felt crazy at the time, and I ended up writing it off as paranoia, you know? I've had trust issues in the past with other guys so I thought that maybe I was just looking for reasons to be suspicious. You didn't give me the impression that you were a cheater so I decided to put it aside and trust you._

_Then a couple of months ago you had to leave for your job. I know you couldn't tell me what it was for or where you were going, but when you got back though… well that was when I finally discovered what it was that had been making me insecure._

_Last month when I spent the night at your place… after we had finished you were drifting off to sleep when you said something that had floored me. You called me 'Ada'. It was then that something clicked. I remembered you saying that name before when we were just starting to date. I was so mad at you that I immediately got out of bed and paced around your kitchen. I was trying to rationalize everything when I noticed a file lying on your table. I knew that I shouldn't have snooped into your work, but I was angry and did it anyway. Her face was the first thing I saw when I opened that folder. I was shocked – it was as if I was looking into a mirror. The eye color, the hair style… the woman looked like me! That was when I figured it all out._

_Leon, you are a kind and considerate guy. You were gentle and sweet, but at the same time you weren't in this relationship to be with me. You were looking at me as if I was her. I don't know who this Ada Wong is to you, but I now see that she's left a huge mark on your heart. It's because of this that I have to leave. I can never be her, Leon. All I can be is me, and I know that's not enough for you. You and I… we both need to be true to ourselves._

_Good bye, Leon. I truly hope that one day you find who it is that you're looking for._

_Alice_

Ada stood there transfixed by what she had just read. This was a break-up letter written by Leon's girlfriend. She then re-read the line that had caught her attention – _"… the woman looked like me…"_

Carefully pushing aside the shards of broken glass, she pulled the picture from the frame to take a closer look at it. Her eyes widened. There in the photo was Leon with his arms around a woman with short black hair – hair that looked a lot like hers! The bangs, the wisp that gently fell over her forehead… all of it made this woman look like her twin. Her lips were red, her eyes brown…

The words began replaying in her mind. _"… the woman looked like me… You called me, 'Ada'…"_ Had Leon been dating this woman because she had reminded him of… her? What other explanation could there be?

Setting the photograph back on the coffee table, Ada looked over at him with a pang of guilt eating away at her. Initially, she'd been so mad at seeing him like this, but now she began to understand why. He was hurting – hurting with pain that couldn't be treated by an herb or a first aid spray. While she was still upset with what he had chosen to help him deal with all of it, her temper had settled itself back down.

Reaching down with her fingers, she gently brushed away a stray bang of his hair that fell over his eyes. "Leon…" she whispered softly.

The guilt was still there weighing down on her small shoulders – guilt that **_she_** had been the one to place so much distance between them. Clearly, he held feelings for her if he had gone so far as to date a woman that looked almost exactly like her. Closing her eyes, a sad sigh left her lips – she couldn't allow herself to become weak now. There was a reason why she was here, but her confused feelings for Leon were not it.

Picking up the empty bottle, she carried it into the kitchen and placed it into his recycling bin. After that bit had been taken care of, she began setting up Leon's automatic coffee maker to wake him up with a fresh cup of coffee come morning. It was the least she could do for him while she was here.

Taking a pen and paper from underneath his phone she began to write. She led her note with the reason why she had come here in the first place – to warn him concerning the threat Wesker still posed to his life.

After dispatching the assassins sent to kill Leon, she doubted that he would try again anytime soon. If he believed Leon was more capable than he initially thought, it would give him room to pause before making additional attempts.

Ada didn't stop her message there. For some reason, the words began to flow much easier than she had first thought. She continued with what had happened in Spain and for the first time in her life apologized to him for leaving the way that she had. The unfamiliar sensation of guilt had been gnawing at her repeatedly for the past two months. Truth be told, she had wanted nothing more than to be an object of desire in his eyes – not a source of distrust or disdain. It had torn her up inside which was not something that was easy to do to the woman who had learned long ago to deaden herself emotionally to the world. Not feeling anything had made things easy… until Raccoon City… until she had met Leon. To see the look of anger on his face as he called her name while she flew off to safety – that was something that was worse to her than the thought of being tortured by Wesker. As warm as the morning sun had felt on her skin that day, her successful mission felt hollow.

Looking down at her letter, she smiled and gently pressed her lips against the bottom corner of the paper. He would know who it was from. Perhaps he could even look at this as an unexpected Christmas present. Setting it next to the coffee maker, she softly walked across the kitchenette to grab her coat when she heard him mumble.

Ada stopped and turned to look back at the man who had saved her life more times than anyone had a right to. He was now lying on his side, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was contorted with emotions of both trepidation… and fear.

"Ashley!" he moaned. "No! Saddler… leave… leave her alone!"

He was having a nightmare – reliving those horrific events once again from his time rescuing the President's daughter from The Los Illuminados. Only this time he didn't have her there to back him up. The thought jolted her from her passivity as she watched him.

The cold and calculating part of psyche was telling her that this wasn't any of her concern. The Ada of old would leave this apartment and make her way back to Bermuda and the warm sandy beaches without a second thought.

For some reason however, she couldn't turn away.

_Ada_, she thought to herself, _when did you become such a softy?_

She wasn't soft. That had been proven time and again after what she had endured as a child at **_his_** hands. Ada shook her head. She didn't want to think about that here. This was Leon, and while she didn't care for the fact that he was drunk, she couldn't leave him like this.

Ever so slowly she sat down on the couch next to him and began to gently run her fingers through his hair. "Leon…" she whispered softly.

He grunted as if he had heard her voice, but he was still thousands of miles away trapped in a nightmare brought on by grief and booze.

"Leon…" she whispered again as she continued her motions. "It's okay, handsome. Easy…" _Nothing's coming for you_, she wanted to say, _because I'm here now. I'm here to watch over you._

But she didn't. Who did she think she was anyway – his guardian angel? As preposterous as that sounded at first, Ada had to concede that everything she had done from Raccoon City up until this point had been to keep him alive… and safe. Hadn't Wesker ordered her to kill him back at Salazar's Castle? Her response had been to refuse whole-heartedly before seeking out and attacking Jack Krauser just as he was about to finish those orders. How much had she put on the line to engage in that act of defiance just to save the life of one man?

A sigh left her lips. But Leon wasn't just _one man_ that she could casually call all of the others she had ever met… or used in her life. He was different – genuine and honorable in his intentions. And he was a man who meant a great deal to her as much as she tried to pretend otherwise. If he had been killed – that would have been too difficult for her to even fathom.

The two of them had connected hard during their survival in Raccoon City. They had been two completely opposite people trapped in a horrific nightmare – a green rookie cop and a deadly experienced spy. Teaming up had been almost unthinkable, but it had been the only option in order to survive. It was during that time when she had witnessed Leon sacrifice himself over and over to keep her safe – even jumping in front of the bullet meant to end her life – that her heart of ice had melted when it came to him. Even to the point where she had willingly given her life to save his. And the kiss they had shared at the end...

Ada closed her eyes at the memories flooding her now… the emotions that they were stirring. Their bond was one formed from both blood and sacrifice. It was because of that bond that she genuinely cared about him – the first person in her life for a very long time that she could say that about. Someone like that was worth protecting… even if the consequences would be severe.

She was thrust from her thoughts when she felt Leon stir beneath her. His eyes fluttered for a moment before he began to wake from his dream. He must have felt her fingers on his face as his eyes immediately found hers – and widened in shock.

"Ada…!" he exclaimed in a husky voice. His eyes were red – either from crying, the alcohol, or both.

"Shhh…" she whispered soothingly. "It's alright, Leon. You were having a bad dream. Close your eyes and go back to sleep."

"You… you're here… but I…" He began to turn in an attempt to sit up until she placed her hands on his chest to stop him.

"No, Leon. I won't talk with you when you're drunk like this. I deserve better than that… and so do you," she said in a firm yet gentle voice to let him know there was no room for compromise. "Right now you're going to sleep this off."

The words had come out a bit too harshly. Even though she felt her heart skip a beat at seeing the excitement in his eyes, she refused to entertain the thought of being here with him when he was in this state. When he fully woke in the morning he could have a cup of coffee, read her note, and know this wasn't just something he had dreamt.

"But…!" he tried to protest.

"No!" she said as her index finger pressed against his lips. Still too harsh. This wasn't what she wanted him to remember about tonight; not like Spain. She didn't want to leave here like this.

"Go on," she then said softly. "I'll sit with you for a bit."

She began to run her fingers over his eye lids and through the bangs that caressed his handsome face. It was obvious he wanted to fight her command; to plead with her to let him wake and have a moment to be with her, but his eyes quickly grew heavy once more. Within a minute he was again asleep. Staying by his side for a little while longer, she watched him as his mouth gently twitched with a peaceful smile forming on his face. She couldn't help herself as one began to tug on the corner of her lips while she kept a close eye on her protector. When she was sure that he was firmly in the grasp of restful sleep, Ada gently bent over him and pressed her lips to his cheek; leaving the imprint of her lipstick there to mark her visit… and perhaps even to mark her territory as well.

While she held no claim over him just as he had none over her, she'd felt an unfamiliar sense of jealousy over the fact that he'd been with another woman. The truth that she hadn't wanted to admit was that she wanted him. Wanted him all to herself. Wanted him in a way that was more than what already existed between them… and she could sense that he did, too. Was that something that could ever happen?

_Maybe one day_, she thought to herself with a smile. _A girl can dream, can't she?_

"Merry Christmas, Leon," she whispered in his ear before once again disappearing back into the night like a shadow before the coming dawn.

**_***** THE END *****_**


End file.
